AI API key gate and assistant readiness
The API key gate is the screen every Senzoukria assistant shows when the machine has nothing that can answer: it takes a Claude key or a Groq key, stores it in the operating system keychain, and opens as soon as an engine is available.
Senzoukria · Documentation · Updated September 2026
Where to find it
- Where
- AI Agent page, and the Chart, Backtest, Script, Report and Connect assistants, until an engine is available
- Accepted keys
- Claude key (starts with sk-ant-) or Groq key (starts with gsk_)
- Storage
- Operating system keychain; never written to disk by the app
- Default engine
- claude (engine store default); saving a Groq key switches the engine to groq
What it does
The gate is a single card titled "Wake Sen up". It has one job: collect an API key so that the assistant can answer. The Claude form takes a key that starts with sk-ant-; the text under the title states that the key is stored in your OS keychain, never written to disk, and sent nowhere except api.anthropic.com. A second form, introduced by "or start free with Groq", takes a key that starts with gsk_ and, on success, switches the engine to Groq. Both forms disable their button until at least 8 characters have been typed and show "Saving…" while the key is being stored.
The gate is not the only way through. The readiness hook (useAssistantReady) first asks whether a Claude key exists; if it does, the assistant is ready. If not, it probes the local engine at the configured base URL and declares the assistant ready when the engine is reachable and lists at least one model. A machine with a working local model therefore never sees the gate, even without any key.
Engine choice is not made here. The card deliberately contains no model selector: an earlier version had one, but the choice was not read by anything, so it was removed. The engine is picked in the model picker in the chat header once the gate is passed.
Settings
| Setting | Default | What it changes |
|---|---|---|
| Claude key field | empty, placeholder sk-ant-… | Stores the key in the keychain and marks the assistant ready |
| Groq key field | empty, placeholder gsk_… | Stores the Groq key and sets the engine to groq |
| Submit enabled | after 8 trimmed characters | Prevents saving an obviously truncated key |
| Local engine bypass | probe only when no Claude key exists | Opens the gate when a reachable local engine lists at least one model |
| Readiness re-measure | on engine or base URL change | Switching to a local model re-runs the probe instead of keeping an old verdict |
How to use it
- Get a Claude key from console.anthropic.com (link on the card), paste it, press "Wake Sen up".
- Or get a free key on console.groq.com, paste it in the second form and press "Use Groq (free)". The engine then answers with open models such as Llama 3.3 70B.
- If you run a local model instead, configure it in the model picker: when the probe finds a model, the gate disappears without any key.
- The same gate appears in the five secondary assistants (scripting, backtest, chart, report, connection). Passing it once passes it everywhere, because every assistant uses the same readiness rule.
Limits or pitfalls
- The key is yours and every message is billed to it by the provider. The card states that the Claude key is sent nowhere except api.anthropic.com; the app adds no quota of its own.
- A saved key is not tested by the gate. Use the "Test this engine" action in the engine settings to measure whether the provider actually answers.
- An error while saving is shown under the form as the raw error string; the button re-enables so you can retry.
- The Groq path reads no screenshots and is rate-limited per minute by the provider; the model picker says so.
Related pages
This page in other languages
Frequently asked questions
- Where is my API key stored?
- In the operating system keychain. The app does not write it to disk and only uses it from this machine, as the settings text "Key stored in the keychain" indicates.
- Can I use the assistant without any API key?
- Yes, with a local model. The readiness check probes the local engine when no Claude key exists and opens the gate as soon as the engine is reachable and lists at least one model.
- Why does the gate not let me pick a model?
- The model picker lives in the chat header once the gate is passed. The gate only collects a key; the earlier selector on this card was removed because it controlled nothing.